Balsi Beam Goes on Tour

Meet the new star of the summer road. Developed by the
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Balsi Beam is a mobile
work protection system that uses a modified semi-trailer that is transported by
a tractor (see January/February 2004 Focus). The system hit the road recently
to visit numerous States on its way to and from the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Maintenance Conference in
Bismarck, North Dakota. "We wanted to give States the opportunity to see the vehicle
and find out more about it," says Jerry Jones of the FHWA Resource Center. "The
tour allowed us to show it to the highway community and get feedback on how
they see it being used."

Each side of the trailer consists of high-strength steel box
section beams that are capable of extending an additional 3.6 m (12 ft). Using
hydraulic power, each beam can rotate to either side (left or right), depending
on which side of the road a protective barrier is needed. The trailer then
extends to provide a 9.1-m (30-ft) secure work zone.

The Balsi Beam on display in Bismarck, ND.

En route to the AASHTO conference, the Balsi Beam visited
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana in late June. In Washington State, for
example, demonstrations were held in Vanouver, Olympia, and Seattle for
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and FHWA personnel.
Members of WSDOT's Work Zone Safety Task Force attended the demonstration in
Olympia. "We are very interested in finding better ways to protect our
workers," says Pat Moylan of WSDOT. "We saw it being deployed and then the
demonstrators showed us how to prepare the device for transport." Rose Willis
of Caltrans notes that, "we got a variety of people at the demonstrations,
including management, engineering, and maintenance staff. Attendees have talked
to us about the various applications for the device, including night work,
surveying, patching, and sign work."

In Oregon, demonstrations were held in Portland and Salem
for Oregon Department of Transportation and FHWA staff. "The demonstration was
very hands-on and informative. I think that everyone who saw the device was
impressed and thought that it could provide some real tangible safety
benefits," says Jeff Graham of FHWA's Oregon Division Office. "One area of
interest was using it for bridge maintenance, as those workers are basically
between the traffic and a bridge rail."

After being on display at the AASHTO Maintenance Conference
from June 27-July 1, the Balsi Beam then made appearances in South Dakota,
Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. "We're also hearing from other
States who are interested in hosting demonstrations," says Chris Kundert of
Caltrans.